Several fires have broken out in southern Siberia, affecting about 200 buildings and causing at least five deaths, local authorities said on Saturday, adding they had placed the area under a state of emergency.
The fires in the Krasnoyarsk region covered more than 16 zones, spreading to around 200 buildings, several sawmills and a children’s playground, the regional ministry for emergencies said on Telegram.
Authorities said some 300 firefighters and 90 vehicles were battling the blazes.
“Extinguishing (the fires) is being complicated by meteorological conditions — violent winds are fanning the flames and preventing them from being put out,” the ministry stated.
Siberia has suffered from large-scale fires for some years. Last year, they belched 16 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere, according to an annual European climate report.
